9am, Topshop yesterday. I was there for the umpteenth Kate Moss collection.  Imagine my surprise when I found the store practically empty.  I couldn’t believe it – no queues, no people.

I was focusing on shorts.  This is a hard look to get right especially with British weather.  Kate had hot pants, suede hot pants and silk ‘city’ shorts – but how to wear them or more to the point how to get away with them in everyday life.  What to wear on top, what to wear on feet, how to accessorise?  And, the most important question: Is there any occasion or situation that lends itself to wearing them in the day job?

I went back at 6pm and got chatting to Greg – a nice manager type who was helpfulness personified.  ‘sure, let me get you a size 8 in those – no problem darling, I’ll just pop down to the stock room.  How do you like the collection, Love?’ I said it’s a bit more of the same but how come I’m the only one here?  ‘Sold out online by 12pm today’ he replied.

I felt the fabric, I saw the colour, I tried them on, I had a leisurely chat with Greg. They didn’t work for me, but I thanked the world of online shoppers for making my real world experience so much more pleasurable.